Who else loves to celebrate Valentine’s Day? I love carving out a day in February to not only celebrate love but to celebrate friendship too! Thanks to Vanilla Gift, I was able to host a fun Galentine’s Day party this year for some of my girlfriends, which was the perfect opportunity to get dressed up, indulge in sweet treats and catch up with one another.
For the party, I decided to style a colorful tablescape and a 4 ft dessert grazing board, and also made sure there were plenty of opportunities for “Instagram-worthy photo moments” with a fringe heart backdrop, as well as a fringe wall installation.
I’ll be the first to admit that I went a bit over the top for decorations for this party, but if I am going to throw a Galentine’s Day party, then I might as well go all in! The theme of the party was “Let’s get wild,” which was inspired by a printable invitation that I found online. I loved that this theme allowed me to pull in any and all shades of pink, pops of bright red and accents of black and white cheetah pattern.
First, I started by styling a tablescape to coordinate with the party theme. I layered a white tabletop with a red heart table runner and displayed a lush pink and red floral arrangement as a centerpiece. Each place setting included a blush plate, topped with a cheetah print paper plate and a red lip-shaped napkin. I finished off the place setting with a gold laser cut Valentine’s Day phrase, a pink napkin and gold and white flatware. The tablescape also included an individual mini favor basket for each guest, which included a Vanilla Gift Card, a scrunchie, nail polish, some chocolates and a custom cookie with each guests’ name.
It wouldn’t be a Galentine’s Day party with a signature cocktail, so I decided to whip a Sparkling French Martini, which is made with raspberry liquor, vodka, pineapple juice and a splash of champagne. The cocktail added another pop of pink on the tablescape and tasted great too!
Now on to the food! The dessert grazing board was the real show stopper of the party and was easier than I thought it would be to create. I filled the board with a variety of store-bought candy, grocery store desserts, mini donuts and custom cookies. The key to a gorgeous grazing board is to make sure you have plenty of inexpensive (but still tasty) fillers to place in all gaps between the larger desserts. I used homemade meringue bites and candy-coated popcorn as my fillers, and I know without a doubt that the board would not have looked as good without either of these items.
For those of you interested in re-creating a dessert grazing board, here is exactly what I used:
3 bags of chocolates (wrapped truffles and foil heart chocolates)
1 bag of M&Ms
2 bags of gummy candies (strawberry puffs and sour cherry hearts)
30 homemade chocolate pyramids
60 meringue bites
One dozen mini cupcakes
18 mini donuts
8 packaged chocolate heart cakes
One dozen custom cookies
One bag of popcorn (coated in pink candy melts)
Dried flowers for garnish
When styling a dessert grazing board, I recommend incorporating a few risers, bowls, and props to anchor the board. This provides a starting point for adding the desserts to the board and also allows you to group the items on the board in different ways. My personal favorite prop on the grazing board was the acrylic flower box that held desserts, as well as a neon “love” sign.
Above the grazing board, I created a 5 ft fringe heart backdrop from a modified One Stylish Party Fringe Backdrop Kit. The installation was created with 2 ft strips of plastic streamers that were lopped onto a grid that I cut into a heart shape. I love that the heart backdrop added texture and a huge pop of color to the party decor.
I rounded out the decor for the party with a pink and red fringe wall installation, accented with a balloon garland. This provided the perfect backdrop to the event and made for some fun photo opportunities.
Here are my tips for hosting a Galentine’s Day Party this year:
Host the party at an off time. By picking a time in the afternoon (such as 3 pm) or late evening (like 7 pm), you aren’t necessarily tied to serving a full meal. It definitely makes hosting easier if you are able to stick with appetizers and/or desserts. Keep in mind that it is perfectly acceptable to request that guests bring a dish to share if they would like.
Pick a theme that inspires you. While it is not necessary to go over the top with decor, a party always looks more put cohesive if there is a common theme that pulls it all together, such as the cheetah pattern that I used in my “Let’s get wild” Galentine’s day party.
Include DIY projects when possible. I was able to save quite a bit on decorations and food by making many items myself, such as the fringe backdrop, balloon garland, chocolate pyramids, and meringues. If you aren’t sure where to start with a DIY project, you can look for kits, such as the One Stylish Party Fringe Backdrop kit that includes everything you need to make a colorful backdrop.
Send your guests home with a thoughtful favor. This is a little touch that goes a long way in making your guests feel special. My guests appreciated their Galentine’s Day gift baskets so much, especially since it was filled with practical items, such as a Vanilla Gift card that can be used anywhere.
I hope you enjoyed reading about my Galentine’s Day party and found the tips helpful for throwing your own gathering this year. Thank you, Vanilla Gift Cards for sponsoring this post and making this party possible.
Photography: Brittany Gidley Photography // Styling, Fringe Backdrop, Balloons: One Stylish Party // Sponsor: Vanilla Gift // Florals: Ashley’s Floral // Custom Cookies: Itty Bitty Bakeshop // Calligraphy: Seaworthi Calligraphy & Design // Printable Invite: Georgia Blue Design Co. // Mini Pinata: LulaFlora // Acrylic Flower Box: Tassels Home Decor // Paper Plates: Jollity & Co.
